Charles t



(No Model.) n

(L C. FMRLAMB, Deod, C T CLARK Admmlutrator NUT LOOK Patented May 22, 1883.

No. 278Q2s0.

UNITED .STATES CHARLES C. FAIRLAMB, )F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS;

PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES "l`. CLARK, A

l NUT- LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 278,230, dated May 22, 1883. l Application tiled February '2l` 1883, (No nmdcl.)

To all whom it may concern lle it known that LCHARLns GFAIRLAMB, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in NutLocks, which are set forth in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of the bolt; Fig. ro 2,a plan view of the nut; Fig. 3, a vertical longitudinal section ofthe bolt and nutcombined, the nut being screwed up to its locked position; Fig. 4. a detail section of the nut on the line x :r ofFig. 2, and Fig.5 a detail section of the bolt on the liuey y of Fig.-1.

My iuvention'relates t0 'that class ot nut-v` locks in which the'nut is'secured by mea-ns of the elasticity ot' some part of the device.

y My invention consists ofa-nut, in combinazo tion'with a bolt ot'elastic material,- which is Slotted longitudinally and has a larger diameter fora part of its length than the smallest diameter of the nut ;-and it further consists in the severaldevices and combinations of devices which will be fully set forth'hereinafter,

a-nd definitely poruted outj the claims.

I will proceed to describe in detail the construction andoperationot' the devices by means of which my improvements may -beembodied 3o in one way,and willthenpoint ont moredetnitely in the claims the special improvements which l believe to be newa-nd which 'I wish to secure by Letters latent."l p

In the accompanyin gdrawin gs,-A represents a threaded nut, of a diameter gradually dencreasing fromits faces inward. y

B is a bolt ot' elastic material, which is di vided into two branches by a slot, b. .That (Iiameterof the threaded portion ofthe bolt which 4o 1s parallel with the inner` faces of the branches of the bolt is nowhere greater thanthe smallest diameter ot' the nut. That diameterof the bolt,however,which is transverse to the slottbat is, the diameter at right angles to that 4 5 just mentioned-varies; the threaded part of the bolt gradually swelling from near each end of the slot, as shown in the drawings, in which the liney y of Fig. l indicates the pointof greatest transverse diameter. f

5o For railway fish-plates and other situations where the nut is not required to be frequently removed and replaced the bolt may advantageouslybe made of wrought-iron but where the bolt has to be taken ontfrequentlyit should be made ot' hardened steel, the nut being ot 55 soft iron, soft steel, or other unhardened material, so that the Wear may come principally on the nut, and not on the bolt, which would be more expensive to repl'acm'and also so that the hardened thread of the bolt may operate 6o as a die to keep the-nut conformed to its own lines.` Moreover, where the nut is frequently Vpassed over a slotted bolt the resulting compression ofthe branches is very apt in all but the very smallest bolts to break oit' one or 65 both ofthem. There is special danger ot' this when rust has enlarged the diameter of the bolt or reduced that ofthe opening in the nut, so that the compression must be greater than was originally calculatedon. To prevent 7n such breakage I enlarge the slot 7) at its inner end, so as to form there a tube, b', cylindrical or otherwise, of curvilinear cross-section, running through the bolt transversely and open' ing on one ot' its sides into the slot. llhe di 75 ameter ot' this tube is about twice the greatest y distance between`the twd branches ofthe bolt.

I find that a cylindrical enlargement thus proportioned affordssuicientelasticity to prevent any breakage of the bolt when the branches 8o are compressed, whatever the size of the bolt may be.

In operating the device the nut is started upon the bolt without any difficulty, as its varying diameter, as well as that of the bolt, en` ables it to compress together the branches of the bolt gradually, and only after the threads of the bolt and nut have -been made to register. The bolt is constructed of such propon tions with reference to the work t'orwhieh itis 9o designedthat the branches ofthe bolt will be left thus under compression when the nut is screwed up,orat any rate will be immediately .subjectedto such compression when the nut begins to unscrew, thus keeping the nut from jarring loose. The varying diameters in both the bolt and nut enable the nut to work over the swollen part of the bolt without cutting either bolt or nut, and the varying diameter ot' the nut facilitates the registering of the nut roo with `the bolt when it is first placed thereon by the operator. A nut ot' uniform diameter, such as to fit close on the smaller part ot` the bolt, could be used, elastcity'ot' the branches enabling' them to yield sullieiently for the nut to pass over the enlarged part ot' thebolt, and causing 'them to separate when it has passed, and thus bar its return; but a nut such as l have described has, when carried pastthe. enlargement7 a mueh seenrer seat on the bolt, and also passes over the enlargement with less friction. v

Having,` thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to seenre b v Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with a nut, a bolt ot' elastic material, havingfor a partl of its length a diameter greater than theleast diameter ol the nut', but. having;1 part ot' its thickness ent ont byaslot crossingthesaid greater diameter,snb stantially as and for the purpose described.

2. A nut oi' an internal diameter decreasing,r from the i'aee inward, in combination with a an internal diameter decreasing from the t'aee inward, substantially as set forth.

5. A bolt of elastic material,havingl a longitudinal slotwith an enlargementof curvilinear and l'or the purpose described.

Ul'lAllilGS (l. FAllliAll.

Wi tnesses: f

ALLEN J. BEAUMONT, Jos. ll. LAMB.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a nntol' cross-section at its inner end, substantially as 

